CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Authorities have confirmed to 3NEWS that the body found in a Kinder Morgan truck on FM 2444 and County Road 43 is missing Freer pastor Phillip Loveday.
Authorities say it's clear that Loveday had been dead for some time.
He died of a gunshot wound. No foul play is suspected.
The truck was found at around 3 p.m., when Kleberg County deputy David Farias decided to search the brushy area near the South Texas Botanical Gardens on his way to work.
"We had some basic discussions on looking for him and what we could do starting from the home. I left today headed to work and first thing I did was check the creek area Oso Creek. I was gonna go on to County Road 43 and before I got there I noticed the barn and it's all grown over. There's a lot of brush there so I said 'lemme take this off my list and clear it'. I drove up halfway up the drive way and saw there was a vehicle. And with the binoculars I was able to confirm it was Mr. Loveday's truck," said Farias.
The deputy immediately called in Corpus Christi Police Department officers and other law enforcement.
"Deputies responded to the scene. CCPD, Nueces County and Texas Rangers all responded. We found a deceased male in the vehicle. We had determined the deceased male is Mr. Phillip Loveday," said Chief Deputy David Cook with the Nueces County Sheriff's Office.
Loveday was reported missing after being last seen at 9:30 a.m. August 2 when he left for work in his Kinder Morgan truck.
Corpus Christi Police Department officials said they were contacted after his wife received a notice that he never made it to work.
He also served as a pastor at Faith Christian Church in Freer.
The search for Loveday was still in effect late Monday, with friends and loved ones asking private farmers and ranchers to search their properties for signs of the missing man or his truck.
This is a developing story. Check back with 3NEWS for updates.